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  • Welcome to another Beyond the Webinar episode of the I3 Podcast, where we're joining the after party which followed the Embryo Biopsy webinar which you can view in full here. Nearly 1k people joined the webinar which focused on the practice of blastocyst biopsy with experienced biopsy practitioners. It was a fascinating conversation highlighting the practicalities when performing this delicate technique in the routine IVF lab, giving valuable advice on the methods, troubleshooting and tips. In this episode you will join the moderators Thomas Elliott and Dr. Tony Anderson along with speakers Debbie Venier, Dr. Charlene Alouf and Dr. Bec Holmes and members of the I3 team all discussing how it went 

    What was discussed:

    Re-biopsy something every embryologist possibly has questions on - challenges around rebiopsing TBR’s - when the embryo doesn’t seem worth itWhen TBR’s are planned according to when the lab has time  The impact on a lab that is short staffed. Cost implications Data available on rebiopsy age vs aneuploidy/ euploidGrading Read rates - spectrum and how labs vary 40% of embryos tested have aneupoliody and the impact this has on implantation Should these test be done on all patients?The impact on Day 5 or Day 6 biopsy and implantation rates

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  • Welcome to another episode of the I3 podcast, where once again we go Beyond the Webinar to hear the discussions that followed two sessions recently shared with the I3 community. 

    First up you will hear the panel's thoughts after the session called Quality Inside - discussing quality measures that are evident in IVF clinics across the globe and best practise- highlighting new technologies to help embryologists to obtain a robust quality control (QC) system for lab equipment and environment. Speakers included: Dr. Jean Popwell, Cassie Miller, Dr Mina Alikani, Dr Thomas B. (Rusty) Pool, Dr Gerardo Mendizaba Ruiz, Dr Michael Skumial and Dr. Alison Campbell and Ineabelle Collazo

    Then you will hear the comments following the session titled ‘Mind the [generation] gap’ which focussed on showcasing the new demographic entering the ART workforce, the digital native, Gen Z and looked at how with an ageing workforce what will attract new talent to the profession and how best do labs work with different generations having different knowledge in terms of systems and process. 

    Quality Control in the Cloud 

    Watch the full session here 

    What was discussed: 

    Cyber Security issuesThe impact that has in the lab & How labs can overcome the risks - guy around 7 min  Security within labs can be restrictive  - separate platforms have to be used for software that is being implemented. How you have to think about every way software is implemented - Hacking can happen through Ultrasound machinesWhat could happen if QC data is connected to patient success - how Dr Google could act against the lab with a patient seeing data and thinking something wasn’t done correctly? You can anonymise systemsShould data from an embryoscope be part of the medical record? Extra info that is discoverable could be misinterpreted. How sometimes too much information can be detrimental.Considerations about choosing a product that is customizable, so not everything goes to the EMR. 

    Now we’re going to hear the panelists from the Mind the ‘Generation’ Gap which was hosted by Veteran senior embryologist, lab manager and mentor, Dr Kimball Pomeroy and former embryologist and current educator Huey Huynh, Panelists Savannah Palmer, Toyin Ojo and Angela Regan and Presenters: Fran Farlie Radhika Kakula-vara-pu and Chloe He

    Watch the full session here 

    Discussion about obstacles affecting the LGBTQ+ community Questions were raised about climate emissions from IVF and the importance of labs being sustainable. Explanation of ‘Population Matters’ - Lobby group who are targeting students at Universities to think about their decision to have a family. Discussions about population size issues - the world population is 8bn people, double since 1974. The rate we’re expanding is significant. Discussion of how AI can help with more insight into Embryos The difference in software usage amongst generations - gaps in knowledge Importance of efficient databases/systems to ensure ‘user experience’ works for everyone, cross-generation. Issues around finding new embryologists around the world - retractions on people practicing in different countries.Better funding for pipeline of talent in the UKImportance of awareness raising of what Embryology actually is - to attract more talentLack of societal...
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  • Welcome to another Beyond the Webinar episode, following the I3 session discussing Best Practices in Cryogovernance. The panel discussed how they are dealing with issues concerning the problems faced by clinics around the world with the increasing rising inventory of frozen specimens after IVF. The session was moderated by Senior Embryologist Dr. Mina Alikani, President of Alpha Scientists in Reproductive Medicine and British patient advocate and podcast host of The Fertility Podcast Natalie Silverman who was joined by an experienced panel consisting of a senior embryologist from Europe, Christianna Makri, lab managers from two large UK clinics Charissa Watchorn and Anastasia Mania and the vice president of clinical strategy of the TMRW group, embryologist Cynthia Hudson. 

    The speakers were Dr. Michael Collins, Glenn Proctor, Dr. Steven Katz and Robert Perkinson.  We'd like to give a huge thank you to our session sponsor TMRW Life Sciences and you can watch the full session here 

    What was discussed: 

    Different regulations around the world  - what they mean Common worry globally worry about cryostorage amongst embryologistsHow bio-repositories in the UK are on standby for smaller clinics or partner clinics locally which have reciprocal agreements What is going into cryostorage, it’s not just embryos it’s also eggs, so a 20yr old might not want them for a decade. How patients are encouraged to discard or donate material because they don’t want to pay, but if there are no storage fees they might just forget about themHow the industry needs to think about better communication, so the clinic is clear to patients about the process - roles and responsibilities. Guidelines with the paperwork about - being able to contact patients etc to help with the issue of orphaned embryos. Better engagement is needed with the patient to give them the perceived value of what they have in storage What protections are in place in the US and the issues that the industry facesLanguage used such as 'discarding' embryos creates issues for patients as it can be triggering and how patients can bury their heads in the sand when not knowing what to do with their frozen gametes. Could there be a monthly fee, rather than the yearly storage fee?Coverage that clinics have for the storage and the attention that is paid to the tanksWhat can go wrong with Dewers - how problems are managed, how they are monitored.Warranty on DewersExplanation of how TMRW storage process works  - it’s a specimen management software tool

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  • Welcome to another Beyond the Webinar episode of I3, where we bring you the conversation from after one of our sessions. This was a webinar looking at worldwide practices of transporting gametes and embryos, the new technological advances to keep samples safe, and the standards and regulations that should be applied. This session was kindly sponsored by Cryoport. 

    The panel included moderators Giles Palmer and Jessica Bailey, panelists Victoria A. Wells, John Condon and Dr Simon Cooke and Presenters, Dr Kristen Ivani  who gave the embryologist's point of view, Deborah Mecerod who spoke about the demands of an egg bank, Bret Bollinger who explained the role of technology in IVF shipping and Dr Mark Sawicki talking about the future of cryo-transportation

     

    You can view the whole session here 

    What was discussed: 

    Is the UK being ‘blissfully’ unaware of this situation compared to the US? However, can it be compared considering the UK experience being on a smaller scaleLack of consistency in the notification from US centres that items have been delivered.Question about tank failure or tank being revalidated. Tracking failure rate of shippers eg. based on structural failure Critical checklist for the shipment process How we don’t know what X-Rays in airports could do to samplesThere are times when it is Xrays as people aren’t paying attention to the request not to Austria - open and Xray everything so some shippers try to avoid going through thereAustralia and New Zealand - bulletin on technical standards for shipping Audits on the servicesPreviously patients could take their own samples (which can still happen in the US) and they have to sign a waiver

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  • Welcome to another Beyond the Webinar episode from I3, following on from a recent webinar session of the same name called Return to Cairo which you can view here It brought together leading clinical embryologists, chemical engineers and professionals from the laboratory construction sector discussed the requirements of a modern laboratory performing IVF and ART. The prime focus of the session was on reviewing one of the most important, published paper reporting the outcomes from an international expert meeting on the recommended technical and operational requirements within modern assisted reproduction technology (ART) laboratories. The Cairo Consensus: DOI: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2018.02.005. The session was sponsored by LifeAire

    In this episode, you'll hear the conversation that took place after the webinar with guest speakers: Dr. Sangita Jindal, Dr. Cihan Halicigil, Manar Hozyen, Dr. Chelsey Leisinger, Kevin D. Bomboy and Dr. Lars Johansson, Dr. Jacques Cohen and Dr. Katy Worrilow,

    Discussion about how impactful it was to see videos of other labs etc in EstoniaQuestions from the session were further discussed about VOC’sSmells people can smell in the lab eg. pine cones Do light bulbs release VOC’s? Issues around improper air ventilation Use of Computational Fluid dynamics (CFD) to solve these issues How VOC’s in plastics are dealt with Importance of negative pressure for off gasing plasticwear How negative suction is cost effective in planning Optimal temperature range within labs

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  • Welcome to the latest episode of the I3 podcast where we are sharing the Beyond the Webinar discussion following our webinar discussion on whether people in person should be entitled to fertility treatment and fertility preservation. Should prisoners retain the right to a private or family life? Should restriction to procreation form part of their sentence? It was a fascinating conversation and do make sure you watch the main session which you can view here 

    What was discussed: 

    Smuggling Sperm People incarcerated with frozen eggs outside - what happens with consent? Can they have a surrogate? Can a man with frozen sperm who is incarcerated and his wife start fertility treatment? can it happen, if the clinic gets consent? How consent happens - in person or virtuallyKits available today have made it easier for young men to freeze their spermRisk of infection if a man was to try and collect his own semen in a prison environmentHow ART has made it possible for so many different scenariosData says that there is less reoffending when you are given congenital visits. Genetic assessment of criminality.Clinics declining or postponing consent‘Meaningful productive parental relationship’The welfare of the child considerationsImpact on a child or a prisonerHealthcare access in prison- where does ART fit?The overturning of Roe v Wade and its implications

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  • A special podcast about the overturning in the US of Roe v Wade and its global implications.

     

    A joint venture with the International IVF Initiative (I3) and Doctors for Fertility- a group of reproductive endocrinology and infertility doctors with a mission to educate and inform policy on reproductive rights and to advocate and take political action for continued access to fertility treatment and preservation.

     

     

    Almost half a century ago, the Roe v. Wade ruling was the basis for establishing a constitutional right to abortion. The recent decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization demonstrates the increasingly conservative direction of the court in the US and prompts questions about the implications for civil rights, embryo rights, and health policy.

     

    What does this mean for IVF?

    It has raised fears that it could have "far-reaching ramifications" on people looking to get pregnant and the clinics providing services to help them.

    Will embryos created, frozen, used in fertility treatment, PGT, or discarded have rights?

    Will "trigger laws"  go into effect that recognizes an embryo as a person?

     

     

    This closed zoom meeting with open dialogue involving a select panel of experts will offer content to help all that are impacted by this ruling.

     

    With examples of restrictive policies in the past and a call for action for all stakeholders, this podcast should support

    everyone that needs help and will offer advice to organize individuals and communities to fight restrictive IVF legislation in vulnerable States.

     

    Participants:

    Serena H Chen MD

    Giles Palmer

    David Sable MD

    Davina (Rudnick) Fankhauser

    Dr. Vivienne Hall  

    Salu Ribeiro

    Lucky Sekhon MD

    Lowell Ku MD

    Colleen Quinn

    Stephanie Gustin MD 

    Declan Keane  

    Jacques Cohen PhD

    Lea Wilcox

    Cynthia Hudson

    Thomas Elliott

    Mary Ann Szvetecz

    Brad Zavy

     

    see also:

    Doctors for Fertility

    Fertility within Reach

    Bill relating to clinical laboratories

    A New Challenge for Fertility Patients?

    Modeling IVF Access Post Repeal of Roe v. Wade

    Hippocratic Oath

    The Solemn Truth About Medical Oaths

     

     

     

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  • Welcome to the latest behind-the-scenes podcast from I3, which took place after two Legacy sessions, discussing the need for embryologists globally and the changing challenges and demands of the embryologists, the demographics of the people working in an IVF laboratory, and ways to retain, train and recruit embryologists into the workforce as more of the veteran embryologist retire. Speakers during the sessions included:  Giles Palmer, Bill Venier, Andrew Thomson, and Dr. Gloria Calderon, Eva Schenkman, TJ Farnworth, Andrew Thomson, Dr. Alison Campbell, Dr. Tony Anderson:  The second part of the webinar which is also discussed in an after party here - continues on with this topic and Giles Palmer is joined by Keshav Malhotra, Dr. Tony Anderson and Eva Schenkman, Elina Roumian, and Dani Smale, Debbie Venier and Dr. Joe Conaghan. 

     

    What was discussed: 

    Talking about filling spaces Why does someone leave suddenly? If that happens you need to figure out why as any good team member will give notice eg. 1 year Team having an exit strategy  - post-pandemic How busy are the training centres - currently booked out until June 2023How the training has been reinvented with 2-3 month courses and how beneficial they are, delivering programmes in a condensed fashion enabling junior trainees to get more experience People who come off the courses are hot commodities - end up being part of a bidding war as candidates have several offersSalaries that are 30/40/50% than 12 months ago People aren’t let go - until they are comfortable with procedures such as ICSI which is different from older courses where you only got a few hours of hands-on experience Helping to teach in a custom way to a network’s protocols  - signing NDA’s. There is a reluctance from clinics to not have the teacher’s methods taught - instead, the clinic needs to trust Consultant trainers- go into clinics to train someone who can’t travel

    SESSION 2: 

    IVF Olympics - challenges for senior embryologists that trainees do but with opposite hand People approaching embryologists to be mentors on Linked InEncouraging students to use social media such as Linked In to help them find work and build connections Mentors and building your network which is so important as at some point in your career you will come across a problem where you need to call someone outside your network to solve itGet involved with associations and communities To talk to new people when you go to meetings, find people in the same boat as you to support youAre Embryologists introverted people?Importance of putting yourself out of your comfort zone to talk to other people.  

     

    Legacy Session 1 

    Legacy Session 2 

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  •  

    Welcome to this episode of Beyond the Webinar from the International IVF Initiative I3 podcast. Here you are going to hear two conversations that took place after session 95 and 95 - which had a tech focus, looking at how the advances in the digital world are impacting ART.  The first conversation was moderated by Dr. Charles Bormann, Dr. Irene Dimitriadis, and Olcay Ocali with panelists Lizeth Barrientos and Giles Palmer, who also participated in a round table discussion with Dr. Gerardo Mendizaba Ruiz and Alejandro Chavez Badiola. This session was sponsored by IVF 2.0. 

    The second was discussing how there are now available a wealth of apps from ovulation trackers, period trackers, and fertility apps...Reproductive BioMedicine Online explored the latest tech that patients are using with Professor. Alice Doma, Alison Meyers, Dr. Ka Ying Bonnie Ng, Dr. Eri Maeda, Prof. Joyce Harper, and it was moderated by Prof. Nick Macklon and Prof. Jacky Boivin have a listen to how the participants felt the sessions went, and make sure you check out the show notes to find out details of how you can watch both sessions 95 and 96 in full as we’ve included all the links you need: 

     What was discussed: 

    Is it too soon? Using it as an assistant to help introduce the concept to the scientific world and patients. When is the right time to trust computers? We’ve already done it, it’s just a lot of people don’t think about it.. Eg. a plane often isn’t pilotedSaying to a patient ‘A computer is selecting your embryo’ is scaryLots of different options on how people feel about trusting a computer AI is a constant - it needs to be tested and tested again, however as a constant factor between embryologists and doctors it is a great asset. The challenge of building synthetic cycles Consistency when embryologists go on holiday - AI could offer a solution When decisions have to be made by humans. Computers don’t have context. AI is the assistant, not the decision maker 

     

     

    View the whole session here 

     

    Before we join the afterparty of our second Beyond the Webinar session, do make sure you check out the show notes of this episode so you can find details of how to watch the full session that is being discussed. We’ll join the speakers now: 

     Session 2: 

    Expectations from apps - mean people’s expectations in clinics have changed Early career researchers reflecting back Difference of opinion between loss and gain between generations Chief Compassion Officer  - going to be responsible for the care patients get in terms of stress and also all the stress levels of employees ( 79 clinics ) Burnout of employees needs to be addressed first, people are quitting and making mistakes Impact of corporatization on IVF  - means apps are crucial Recommendations need to be helpful  - training physicians to behave empathetically to improve patient care Paper - on how if staff is having problems in clinics how can they provide the care they want. LINKA squeeze of time means apps are so helpful and useful as they give you more time. Discussion of conferences online and in-person - will in person survive the test of time. Careers and friendships are made in person  

     

    View the whole session

  • Welcome to the latest episode of I3 with Giles Palmer in conversation with Dr Kathryn C. Worrilow who is the Founder and CEO, LifeAire Systems in what is a fascinating discussion about the developments within the lab environment and the time it has taken for these types of changes to be implemented.

    What was discussed:

    Kathryn talking about how she got into the world of embryology Her previous work with co-culture When she first saw the importance of air quality - literature to identify the relationship between air quality and the culture of the human embryo. Realisation when leaving lab and saw that there of tarmac happening outside the lab and how it was linked to air quality in the labStarted to monitor outside activity to see the drops in cellular and clinical outcomes. 2017 Cairo  Consensus -discussing clean room concepts Research launched once they knew the common VOC’s to look at how they are impacting the embryoRBM online publication on the ‘mode’ of publication Biggest threats to a labImportant for embryologists to understand the toxic pathogens that are outside eg. off-gas equipment Improvements on the Cairo consensus? Discussion of how much we’ve learnt since then Which VOC’s are most common in IVF labs and where they come from, materials which should and shouldn’t be used How their engineers work  - look at ‘asbuilt drawings’ to start to find cubic volumes of air - they want to protect every molecule in that space How covid impacted their business - who they could help

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  • Welcome to the latest episode of the I3 podcast where we’re going to be discussing a recent session held by I3 on Misconceptions which discussed a number of curious oddities within the studies of Embryology. It was called Misconceptions and we highly recommend you rewatch it to, scroll down for the link.

    During the session there was a talk from Dr. Sourima Shivhare who is a Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registered Senior Clinical Embryologist, working at The Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health, London. She is also a lecturer and external assessor on the MSc in Clinical Embryology (University of Oxford). Dr Shivhare spoke in more detail to Giles Palmer  about her insights from her studies, following on from a paper Giles had told her about by John Wallington, which debated the origins of Embryology.

    The paper highlights how common European names such as Aristotle and Hippocrates shouldn’t be the only ones mentioned and Dr Shivhare discussed with Giles about her surprise at finding out that the concept of conception and embryology existed much earlier in one of the oldest scriptures. 

    What was discussed: 

    Papers that have come out of Indian mentioning embryology in ancient scriptures and in the Koran, however, it is John Wallingford’s paper that mentions themNames within standard textbooks such as Aristotle, and Hippocrates - all-white European How much of the history of Embryology is actually studied in trainingCurrently, the definition of science is based on evidence - so can religious scriptures be considered primarily as they are then translated, meaning we can’t check for accuracy. Hippocrates - Father of Medicine 500 BCThe Veydic Period between 1500 - 300 BCE and the oldest scripture mentioning the development of the embryo in the womb,  mention within 24 hours something happening and the ‘bubble’ alluding to blastocyst. Twin conception mentioned within the papers17th Century - in Europe talking about pre-formations, before that in Asia conclusions on this development was being discussed.We shouldn’t get bogged down that these are religious texts as that is how words were spread at that timeHow the definition of religion has also changed vastly over the centuries   - more like a way of life rather than following a deity. Great minds were often religious—unity between religion and science. 

    You will also hear the after-party which took place after the session. 

    Speakers include: Dr Don Rieger- Oddities in Reproductive Biology, Dr Sourima Biswas Shivhare- A little Less Eurocentric, Modestly Universal View of the History of Embryology and Dr Shubhangi Gangal - The Story of Subhash Mukhopadhyay

    Watch the Misconceptions session here

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  • Welcome to another episode of the I3 podcast where you'll hear two after parties for the price of one! First up, you'll hear what happened after the More or Less webinar, which was all about timings of lab events and how important they are. Speakers who joined the I3 team were: Dr. Jason Swain and Dr. Rebecca  Holmes with Dr. Chelsey Leisinger, Dr. Denny Sakkas, Hubert Joris, Dr. Alessandra Alteri,  Tricia Adams

    Watch the full webinar:

     What was discussed:

    Witnessing and time stamp accessHow time stamps are controversial  - some people want to see it and some don’t How ideas are presented to the team Using timestamp with difficult sperm cases - measuring the time to search for sperm FET’s  - time issues and the impact it has on the embryology The impact of the traffic light system in the UKThe Use of ‘add on’s’ and whether there should be a cost? Blastocyst debateDo they run shifts in the lab? 

    In the second after party speakers included Dr. Pierre Comizzoli, Professor Marc Antoine Driancourt, Dr. Alison Bartolucci. Dr. Daniel Le Bourhis, Professor Islam M. Saadeldin, Dr. Eli Sellem and Dr. Antonio Capalbo

    International Society for Extracellular vesicles Standards and oprations proceducres devleopd Extracting extracellular vesicles in the Giant Panda and discussion about artificial insemination. Discussions about life of Panda’s how they live in China and other countries have to pay rent to get to work with them. Working with Panda’s is very stressful as any mistakes, cause issues

    Watch the Might Molecules webinar here

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  • Welcome to the I3 Podcast discussing the corporate world of IVF and a contentious issue about the ageing population of embryolgists. In this episode you will hear the after party which followed on from a webinar with TJ Farnsworth is the CEO and Founder of Inception Fertility and Kathy Miller, Vice President, MedTech Laboratory Solutions.

    What was discussed: 

    Issues in labs such as equipment not workingMoney invested into the business including investment in people Importance of flexible working and looking after people better Generation issue  - Giles talks about how the job changes everydayIssues in lack of motivation with younger embryologists in self-training - they’re rigid in their work hours and don’t stay and practice like doing a first ICSIYoung and old embryologists don’t communicate effectively which needs attention The expectation of people coming out of college thinking they are ready when the older generation feels they aren’t. How the pandemic impacted labs and processes and procedures 

    In the second part of the podcast, you'll hear from Roisin O'Raghallaigh, Shaista Chhatriwal Sadruddin, Vivian Kimble, Maria Liossi, Victoria Almela talking about their experience as the younger generation of embryologists.

    What was discussed:

    Older embryologists set in their ways - not wanting to change anything, not being flexible Younger might be open and adaptable to new approaches Hard to communicate different types of efficiencies which is hard for the older generation to grasp the ‘why fix something that isn’t broken’ mentality Opportunities to train - often recruitment is during busy times so you need someone already trained up, rather than training people up ahead of these times. Complaints about there being a lack of embryologists but older generations aren’t willing to train, possible they leave it too long, rather than training them when there is the capacity to train them not when the lab is already a stretched Modern embryologists working smarter and harder - being more efficient Being told they are a lazy generation is offensiveThe work culture of society is changing as are employee needs - so employers need to be attuned to this and it’s toxic to make sweeping statements across generations. No need to make your own media when you can buy it - skills have become redundant 

    You can watch the full webinar here

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  • Welcome to this episode of the I3 podcast where we go Beyond the Webinar, and we continue our focus on UKRAINE here at the International IVF Initiative. 

    We’ve been following the amazing efforts of three Ukrainian embryologists and their teams to safely move frozen gametes and embryos out of UKRAINE and if you haven’t heard the previous episode do go back and have a listen. 

    First up you’ll hear the pre-meeting chat with Dr. Jacques Cohen and Giles Palmer from I3 and panelists Dr. Pavlo Mazur, Dr. Uliana Dorofeyeva, Olena Novikova and Dr. Olga Chaplia 

    What was discussed:

    What to do from the embryologist aspect, what do you do as a cynic and how to you prepare for tomorrow, next week, next year.The gravity of the situation - this has never happened to embryologists before. Perception of people in Ukraine people not being treated like other Western counties - treated like white trash. Why Ukrainian clinics have flourished over the years, talented staff, high education level in Ukraine, lot of interest in Biology and Medicine. Why does this not happen in Hungary or Poland which are EU countries How easy it is to import instruments for IVF such as time-lapse machines or disposablesHow almost all clinics are privately owned - not regulated by the government so they can petition for money to be spent to stay up to date. Discussion about clinics in the US in comparison Tim Sharpe - Conflict expert talks about appearance of Dewers could raise alarm with military personnel at the Border. The enormous global response to what has happened to these Ukraininan embryologists who have been displaced by the conflict and a huge uptake from industry leaders to help this highly skilled group find jobs. How sister clinics and those in neighbouring countries have been reaching out to help, and patent support has been maintained, despite clinics having to close.  

    The recording from this session will be available here soon

    Watch the previous session with Tim Sharpe

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  • Welcome to this edition of the I3 Podcast, where we're joined by three of our colleagues in Ukraine, to hear how they are and what has happened to their work life in the last two weeks since War broke in Ukraine.

    First up, you'll hear from Pavlov Mazur, an embryolgist in Kyiv at Nadiya Clinic who explains how he is not working, clinic closed. The second conversation is with Uliana Dorofeyeva, Medcial Director at Ovogene Egg Bank who spoke about the logistics of moving materials and the regulations across the border. The final conversation is will Birol Aydin, Lab Director-Scientific Advisor at Ovogene Egg Bank who had been working with 40 clinics

    What was discussed:

    What happened to close down the clinic on 25th Feb - everything was put into storage. IVF has been continuing in Western Ukraine although they not starting any new cycles, they are trying to finish frozen cycles. Embryo transfers did go ahead. How he and his family are packed but at the time of this conversation, he felt Kyiv is was the safest place to be due to it’s size, they have electricity, internet and there is still access to food.  Issues around Liquid Nitrogen  - what they went through in 2014 when all the embryos died as no-one could supply it.  Trying to get materials out - had lots of enquiries from international clients. Kyiv clinic closed. Permission from Eshre granted on 8/3/22 to support movements of gametes from Ukraine to a close territory or who have 1 border, or that are close. How Patient information is being looked after Approx 30 babies from Surrogates have been born so farBirol explains how they reacted when war broke out - what they did, step by step - how they left Ukraine and then came back. Last several years, Ukraine IVF has really increased in popularity for surrogacy - up to 100 cycles with 60-70% getting pregnant. What is happening with the women who are pregnant - how they are trying to move them with some success. New born babies connected with IP - a lot of protection given, yet can’t say 100% are OK. That some surrogates are having abortions. IP’s are being really supportive, not just worrying for their child but for the health of their Surogates. A lot of the surrogates don’t speak English which makes it difficult but now the help is limited. Having moved donor embryos and oocytes to Sweden, but courier company can’t work - they’re all male and have to stay in Ukraine Patients now want to move their embryos to their country - needs to be arranged. They don’t know when they can move back to Ukraine to their facility. Birol is the only male able to leave along with 6 embryologists, 70% of medical team are female, they’ve had to be relocated. Car registered as a medical courier car.The process of moving eggs and embryos. How they reacted when war broke out - what they did, step by step - how they left Ukraine and then came back. 

    You can watch Birol in conversation with I3 here

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  • We're going behind the scenes once again with I3, to hear more about the highly popular topic, How Green is your IVF, discussing the common practice of single use products, products and the overuse of packaging. Speakers: Dani Smale, Roisin O’Raghallaigh, Rikard Ledin da Rosa - Vitrolife, Chip Calcagni

    What was discussed: 

    Discussion about choices of products used and how companies look at how they can become more sustainable and holding the manufacturers to task to come up with innovations How clinics can make sustainable choices but unless they can use better tools and products the issue is never going to end. Taking the issue to the larger companies before the clinics  - will that cause a huge delay? Importance of having this conversation with the big companies as they all have a green agenda. How shareholders are demanding objectives are met. The waste from plastic items used and unnecessary packaging that is used to keep things sterile. Can this be reduced? Paperwork that comes with products - could extra material be reduced. Vitrolife - talking about what sustainability means. How to bring consciousness of sustainability up in the decision-making matrix? Could putting pressure on the suppliers help? How the sustainability specialist at Vitro Life position came about  - how Rikard’s role is to speak with top management to make these decisions. 

    To watch the full session go here

    In this second part of our chat we invited Rikard Ledin da Rosa from Vitrolife to join us again in a different timezone and Anna Gorbunova who Giles met on Linked In and invited her to the webinar.

    What was discussed:

    Whether there is a deadline for when clinics need to improve their sustainability Movements within the investor markets - who needs reports about issues such as CO2Sustainability reports expected Interactions that could be done at home - to reduce clinic visitsHow Clinical aspects from egg retrieval to monitoring of follicular stimulation needs to be discussed further. Could there be more AI involvement, remote ultrasounds? 

    Watch session 2 here

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  • We've got a bumper episode for you today, a BOGOF in fact as we're sharing two sessions that took place after our I3 webinars.

    First up you will hear the conversation from after our 'i3 goes Maverick' session from October 2021, discussing the profession of embryology and how it’s perceived today as a career along with the salaries available and we’re joined by our panel including: Dr. Gerry Celia, Dr. Mara Simopoulou, Ashley Wong, Dr. Betsy Cairo, Huey Huynh, Dr. Michael Baker, Salustiano Ribeiro, Dr. Bryan Kloos , Dr. Sheela S. Ali. 

    Topics Discussed: 

    Burnout - how long people stay and whether the right people are coming into the lab, that the science isn’t a good fit for them Survey on mental health showing the differences between young and older embryologists Higher turnover with younger people, they go off and do something else. New generation - softer - overworking was a badge, it was a different mentality, it wasn’t a good thing as it set bad habits and people felt guilty when they weren’t working. The new generation is different, they need to understand constructive criticismLoving what you do as an embryologist and working in ARTWhere is the passion - is Embryology yours? Where people move to from Embryology.. why People who think of this as a career Vs a jobSalaries - how it used to be attractive and now it doesn’t compare well to what else is available for young people. Why aren’t salaries increasing? The passion that embryologists have Lack of resources when it comes to hiring - not enough budget How to retain talent - the distinction between clinics who have looked after their embryologists during the pandemic and those who don’t Hiring practices 

    You also get to hear the conversation from our last I3 session of 2021, called 'Carry on Inseminating 'which includes a panel of Dr. Bronte Stone & Kimberly Kienast, Dr. Caroline McCaffrey, Nick Campion, Cynthia Hudson, VP Clinical Strategy at TMRW Life Sciences and Shaista Sandruddin.

    Topics Discussed:

    Witnessing - How do we remove or eliminate opportunities for mistakesHow to remove or reduce risk How to shorten the chain of custody Use of gradients  and use of Stickers Human error and how the number of times things are handled by humans, is begging for mistakes where could robots come in eg. ICSIHow Zymotit removes the human element

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  • Welcome to another episode of the I3 podcast, where we're going Beyond the Webinar once again, as we know you are enjoying these conversations our panels are having in the 'after party' zoom. In this episode you'll hear from Moderators: Alejandro Chavez-Badiola MD and David Sable MD as well as Matt Pettit, Dr. Dimitri Consten, Ms Unika Alexander and I3 Members Jaques Cohen and Giles Palmer.

    What was discussed:

    Increased workload The issues of stickers not being good enough TracingDriftElectronic WitnessingProcesessListen to the session here

    Let us know what you think of this podcast and if you'd like to hear more behind the scenes. You can email us [email protected] or follow us.

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  • Welcome to the latest episode of the I3 podcast, where once again we're taking you beyond the webinar to share more of the conversations that our panel have after their discussions. The session was called 'KPIS - KEEP PLODDING INDEFINITELY OR KEEP PERFORMING IMPECCABLY?!' and you will hear from the Moderators:  Dr. Sharon Mortimer & Dr. Dean Morbeck along with Dr. Alison Campbell, Katie Heywood, Dr Aidita James and Dr. Jacques Cohen and Dr. Denny Sakkas.

    What was discussed:

    The Gold standard' patientPredictive valueHow to Quanitfy the 'Unexplained' groupGetting Feed back You can view the full episode here

    We'd love to hear your feedback on whether you are enjoying these behind the scenes episodes, as we have plenty more.

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  • Welcome to Episode 4 of the I3 podcast and here we’re taking you backstage as each time we have a webinar, we all meet afterwards for what we like to call the “After party’ giving our panel the chance to discuss the conversation further and we are planning to share snippets of these conversations with you. This episode is our CRYO Storage, one of the most successful webinars, with lots of questions and scroll down to access a link to it.

    What was discussed:

    In this episode you will hear from the moderators: Dr. Kimball Pomeroy and Dr. Mathew Tomlinson as well as our speakers Dr. Mathew Tomlinson, Dr. Mitchel Schiewe and Colleen Marea Quinn. You will also hear from I3 Founders Jacques Cohen, Peter Nagy, Thomas Elliott and Giles Palmer

    What was discussed: 

    How forgotten embryos are handled in terms of consent and paperworkWhat if an embryo is lost or something else goes wrong? What if there is damage in the freezing processCosts and what is driving them upUsing video to cover yourself How there are so many couriers and samples moving about Missing embryos and who is to blame.  Listen to the session here 

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